When I was still an itsy-bitsy-teeny-tiny puppy my mommy noticed that I was often pawing my one eye. My eye would always have a discharge and it would seem that my eye was irritated.
My mommy was very concerned about this and took me to our local vet. Our local vet referred us to Valley Farm Animal Hospital to go see Dr Lo-Ann the eye specialist. When we got in the car mommy immediately phoned them and made an appointment for me.
My eye still felt irritated, but I found comfort in the fact that wouldn’t be long before my eye appointment and hopefully a cure for the irritation.
When the day of my appointment finally came, I was both nervous and excited.
Mommy and I got in the car and off we were to the specialist. After entering the large building, we were shown to the doggy waiting area. I could see other doggies sitting and waiting for their appointments.
I was very nervous as this was my first visit with the specialist. As I looked around a middle-aged Schnauzer looked at me and introduced herself as Princess. She said she was waiting for her yearly health check and booster shots. She seemed to be at ease and told me she really enjoyed her visits and that I need not be nervous.
Shortly after that a lady vet came past and introduced herself as Dr Lo-Ann the ophthalmologist. She showed us to her consult room and closed the door behind us. Her consult was somewhat darker than the waiting room.
She spoke to mommy and asked a few questions before she examined my eyes. She gently touched my face and gave me a few cuddles before starting her exam. She explained to mommy and me what she was looking for and what she found.
The vet explained to us that I have an ocular dermoid on my left eye. O, an ocular dermoid – that makes total sense. I know exactly what that is – NOT…. I stared at the vet in confusion as mommy asked the her what exactly an ocular dermoid is.
She explained to us that it is when a normal type of tissue grows in an abnormal place like for example on your eye. (An ocular dermoid is made up of typical tissue found in your dog’s body, however it grows in an abnormal place. When tissue grows near your dog’s eyes or on your dog’s eyes, it can cause irritation and discomfort. This issue can be found in specific breeds in particular and is present at birth.) So, it seemed that in my case I had hair growing on my eye.
Dr continued to explain to us that I would need surgery to remove the foreign hair. Mommy and I thanked the Dr and booked my surgery with reception.
A few days later we were back at the hospital for my surgery. Mommy signed the admission forms and I was taken through to hospital. The vet spoke introduced me to the anesthetist and the theater assistant that would be assisting with my surgery.
I was taken to the surgical ward and was prepped for my surgery. My front leg was shaved before they placed an IV Catheter. From my vantage point I could see through the clear glass panes that surround the surgical theater. I could see a large machine and a theater bed.
The vet saw me frowning when I looked at the large machine and she explained that it was a type of a microscope to help her with surgery. This microscope was special and allows her to see what is going on with my eye. Eye surgery is such a delicate thing that I knew every move she made was important.
I could feel my eyelids getting heavier and I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I remember having the same feeling after play-dates with friends, so I gave in and closed my eyes while drifting off to dreamland.
I am not sure how long I slept, but I woke up feeling very groggy. I was snug and warm under a blanket in the surgical ward’s recovery area. The anesthetist walked past and asked me how I felt? I tried to tell him I was still feeling groggy, but my facial expression gave me away.
Shortly after the eye specialist exited theater and came over to see how I was doing. I guess she had more than one eye surgery scheduled for the day. She told me she removed the hair like tissue that was growing on my eye. She would be sending me home later with some eye drops and would like to see me in a few weeks for a follow up eye exam.
I was so relieved that she was happy with my surgery. My eye still felt slightly irritated, but I guess it is from the surgery. I can’t wait for my eye to heal and for all the irritation to be gone.